36 Nigerians Deported From Austria, Germany, Luxembourg and Hungary in Joint European Operation
- A charter flight carried 41 deportees from four European countries to Lagos, Nigeria, and Accra, Ghana
- Germany organised the joint deportation operation, with Austria, Luxembourg and Hungary providing support
- Austria's Interior Minister Gerhard Karner vowed to continue the country's deportation policy against illegal residents
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Germany led a joint deportation operation involving four European countries that resulted in 36 Nigerians being sent back to Nigeria, alongside five Ghanaians and one Gambian, according to Austrian news outlet Heute.at.
The charter flight departed between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, August 27, with Lagos and Accra listed as the two destinations for the 41 deportees on board.
Source: Twitter
Of the 36 Nigerians removed, 29 were deported from Germany, three from Austria, two from Luxembourg, and one from Hungary, Leadership reported.
The 35 individuals who boarded the flight from Germany included 29 Nigerians, five Ghanaians, and one Gambian.
Austria's role in the deportation
Austria contributed three Nigerians to the operation. One of the three had previously been convicted of drug-related offences before being removed from the country.
Austria's Interior Minister, Gerhard Karner, used the operation to reaffirm the government's commitment to removing both illegal residents and criminal offenders.
"The negative net migration is being continued through a consistent deportation policy. Never before have so many illegal residents and criminal offenders been removed from the country by Austrian authorities as in the first half of this year. We will continue on this necessary path undeterred," Karner said.
Germany coordinates the operation
According to Diaspora Tales, Germany took the lead in organising the joint removal, with Austria, Luxembourg, and Hungary supporting the effort. Joint deportation flights of this kind allow multiple European Union member states to share the cost and logistics of large-scale removals, Punch reported.
The operation is part of a broader pattern of coordinated expulsions across Europe targeting migrants without legal residency status or those with criminal records.
Germany deports 137 Nigerians
Previously, Legit.ng reported that Germany deported at least 137 Nigerian citizens across five chartered flight operations between February and June 2026, according to figures monitored by the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org.
The five operations returned Nigerians in separate batches: 27 in February, 37 as part of a 50-person joint EU operation in March, 24 in April, 23 in May, and 26 in June 2026.
Source: Legit.ng
